Published 8:08 am, Thursday, August 29, 2013

New Caney will look to turn things around after going 2-8 last season.

New Caney will look to turn things around after going 2-8 last season.

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New Caney’s offense will be under the direction of former Manvel coach Jimmy Klingler this season.

New Caney’s offense will be under the direction of former Manvel coach Jimmy Klingler this season.

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New Caney runs 7-on-7 during a recent practice.

New Caney runs 7-on-7 during a recent practice.

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New Caney breaks the huddle after a practice recently.

New Caney breaks the huddle after a practice recently.

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New Caney coaches go over offensive techniques during a recent practice.

New Caney coaches go over offensive techniques during a recent practice.

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FOOTBALL: Eagles continue building for the future

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New Caney is rebuilding a program.

But don’t think of that as a cliché slight.

Think of it more like acquiring Jimmy Klingler from powerhouse Manvel to run the spread system that vaulted Manvel to consecutive playoff runs. Think of it like head coach Brady Pennington working tirelessly to get kids into the weight room and onto the field.

Or, just think of it as literally, New Caney is rebuilding their program.

“The culture here is such that we’ve got to get the kids to believe in themselves again,” Pennington said. “When (Klingler) came over having experienced success … has been huge for our kids’ confidence. It’s all our coaching staff trying to get these kids to understand they need to believe in themselves. I see the culture changing.”

In with the new

New Caney’s offense is transitioning from a ground-and-pound style to Klingler’s proven spread system.

“We are trying to transition from a Power-I that we’ve ran the past two years,” Pennington said. “We hired Jimmy Klingler. He’s a big-time spread guy, so we’re transitioning from the “I” to the spread and the kids are picking it up so that’s the biggest change.”

“We’re stronger, faster, and bigger and we had a really good offseason,” Pennington said. “Everybody’s definitely improved in those areas.”

The installation of Jimmy Klingler as the offensive coordinator comes with a bonus prize: his son and Rice-committed offensive lineman Cory Klingler.

“Klingler’s going to be playing offensive tackle for us and he’s going to play a little nose tackle for us,” Pennington said. “He’s going to be a big plus for us.”

Transplanted safety Cory Young will be playing quarterback in the new system. Not only is Young learning a completely new offense, he’s learning one of the most technically difficult positions in team sports. But, Pennington is happy with Young’s progress.

“He’s doing well with it,” Pennington said. “He’s had a great camp. We’re really looking forward to see how he reacts to this new offense and a live competition setting. We’ve been really happy with what he’s been doing in practice. He’s in good shape. He’s been doing a great job. We’ve been really happy with him.”

Young will benefit from having returning target Clay McClesky, who was the Eagles reception leader in 2012 with 303 yards.

McClesky’s numbers should go up as well with far more targets in the spread system as opposed to the Power-I.

Junior running back Trevor Johnson will move to slot receiver in the new system.

Defense

One of the biggest things hurting the Eagles is sheer lack of numbers. More than half of the starting offense plays defense as well.

“We have six out of 11 kids going both ways,” Pennington said. “They may be starting on offense and rotating on defense, but all of our skill kids play both. Wide receivers play defensive back, and defensive backs play wide receiver.”

Even with the lack of man power, Pennington has seen improvement from his defense in the offseason. “The kids have been in our system for two years now so they’re going to understand what’s going on better.”

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The Eagles added two key pieces to the defense to develop depth.

“We’ve got a kid that’s going to be a sophomore for us, (linebacker) Alden Adamek is starting for us at tight end, but we are expecting the most out of him on defense. Jesse Abauta is kid from the junior varsity last year at corner. We are expecting him to help us out at secondary.”